"Drying with age"

Discussion in 'Cellaring / Aging Beer' started by Sneers, Jul 30, 2013.

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  1. Sneers

    Sneers Initiate (0) Dec 27, 2009 Pennsylvania

    I've heard this phrase used a few times before, and I think I've experienced this effect myself. In particular, I recall recently having a 4 year-old Three Philosophers (a beer I've had dozens of times) and found it less sweet than fresher bottles: more dark chocolate; a sort of concentrated dark fruit flavor, without the sugar.

    Now, what I'm curious about is this: Generally, when we describe a beer as dry, we mean that most of its simpler sugars have been fermented out, leaving only longer ones which are not perceived as being as sweet. But clearly, the drying of a beer with aging is not due to continued fermentation (unless it's got bugs in it), so I assume it has to do with the simple sugars oxidizing and/or recombining into something else.

    So does anyone know what's going on here?
     
    #1 Sneers, Jul 30, 2013
  2. afrokaze

    afrokaze Pooh-Bah (1,962) Jun 12, 2009 Oregon
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    If a beer is bottle conditioned (like 3 Philosophers) then there can still be active yeast in the bottle, although after a few years it wouldn't really still be fermenting; more likely the yeast are consuming their own by-products that can cause off flavors, turning them into more appealing and smoother ones. As you said, there can also be a small amount of complex sugars that break down over time and become easier for yeast to consume.
     
    #2 afrokaze, Jul 30, 2013
  3. AndrewK

    AndrewK Savant (1,123) Oct 20, 2006 California

    The majority of the drying in darker beers as they age is due to the conversion of sugars from darker malts turning into melanoidins, and from melanoidins oxidizing.
     
    #3 AndrewK, Aug 2, 2013
  4. Dupage25

    Dupage25 Savant (1,044) Jul 4, 2013 Antarctica

    Oxidation of sugar and/or sugar byproducts. Its the same reason beers will eventually thin out with age even though the carbonation is also gone.
     
    #4 Dupage25, Aug 3, 2013
  5. stupac2

    stupac2 Pooh-Bah (2,031) Feb 22, 2011 California
    Pooh-Bah

    Interesting, do you have a reference for this? I don't doubt you I'd just like to read more.
     
    #5 stupac2, Aug 3, 2013
  6. AndrewK

    AndrewK Savant (1,123) Oct 20, 2006 California

    #6 AndrewK, Aug 3, 2013
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